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FREDERICKSBURG – Instilled or inherited? The source really isn’t all that important.

The current version of the Northern Lebanon girls’ basketball team isn’t as talented as its predecessor. But the new Vikings have just as much spunk, just much as much grit, just as much toughness.

On Monday night at Northern Lebanon High School, the Vikings made the most of thier intestinal fortitude to knock off a talented Lebanon Catholic squad 57-51, in a pretty good early season test for both sides. Northern Lebanon turned the intensity up on the Beavers in the second half, when it outscored them 34-23.

It was the most complete outing to date for a Viking team that was supposed to be rebuilding. Northern Lebanon improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in Section Three of the Lancaster-Lebanon League, while the result made Lebanon Catholic 2-3 on the year and 1-1 in the circuit.

Northern Lebanon, the two-time reigning L-L Section Three champs, captured last season’s District Three Class AAAA title with a distinctly different cast. Lebanon Catholic has everyone back from a club that won District Three and PIAA Class A championships a year ago.

“I think they’ve (his players) been around so long and been conditioned that they’re supposed to die before they fail,” said Northern Lebanon head coach Ken Battistelli, himself quite possibly the originator. “I think they’ve learned that together. Day in and day out, that’s what we preach. Maybe they’re better than people think. I thought they showed an immense amount of heart for a young team.

“What this means to me is that now they’ve (his players) shown what we’re capable of,” continued Battistelli. “Anything but progress from here on is a step back. We’re not allowed to (stink), and we’re not going to. I found out a lot about my team, and it really makes me feel happy. I’m looking forward to moving ahead.”

“We played OK,” said Lebanon Catholic head coach Patti Hower. “We can play better. They’re (the Vikings) physical. They were pushing and shoving all game. We knew they were very physical. They have two really nice players.

“It’s a league game,” Hower continued. “The most important thing was it was a section game. Nobody’s going to beat Lancaster Catholic. You’ve got to stay unbeaten just to have a shot.”

With steals, turnovers and missed opportunities on both ends, the outcome was very much in doubt with 53 seconds remaining, when senior Taylor Bossert drained a three-pointer to pull Lebanon Catholic to within 51-49. But Vikings Liz Voight and Zara Zerman drilled six pressure-packed free throws to ice it.

It was Voight and Zerman who had spearheaded a key 8-0 run early in the final quarter that gave the Vikings a 46-39 advantage.

“The biggest thing for us was our shot selection,” said Battistelli. “If it (a rebound) lands in one of their (the Beavers’) hands, they go like a missile. We knew we were at a massive disadvantage there. Defensively, we need to be together as a team.

“This was important because we know how good they are,” added Battistelli. “They are an amazing basketball team. We’d like to consider ourselves a good basketball team. They (the Beavers) are very, very, very good. Tonight my kids stepped up. I don’t know if we can do it again.”

“I thought we did very well defensively,” said Hower. “But we didn’t execute offensively. That’s to their (the Vikings’) credit. That’s what they made us do.

“They (the Vikings) don’t have the inside game they had last year,” Hower added. “They have two guards, and they’re very good. They shoot well from the outside.”

Down five points at the break, Northern Lebanon emerged from the locker room and hit the Beavers with eight straight points – on a pair of buckets from RaeAnn Lessing, a Zerman pull-up and charity tosses from Voight and Lindsay McFeaters – to forge a 33-30 edge. But on buckets from Celine Mars and Alexis Hill, Lebanon Catholic notched the final four points of the third stanza to grab a 37-36 margin.

“I thought we played great,” said Battistelli. “It’s girls’ basketball. People who have seen us play know it’s not always pretty. This game had some ups and downs. For us to take punches and not fold at all was pretty impressive.

“We were shaky in the first half with our defensive game plan,” Battistelli continued. “After halftime, I think we were better. The determination and passion was apparent. They (his players) didn’t fold.”

“You want the county rivalries,” said Hower. “It’s kind of the end of the road for us with county rivalries.

“To me, it felt like we were playing against women,” said Battistelli. “Those kids (the Beavers) are big and strong. Age and experience makes a difference.

“But we’ve got some kids who can play too,” added Battistelli.

“They were throwing us all over the place,” said Hower of the Vikings. “They’re just more physical than us. They did a great job of boxing out. We talked about it. They made everything and they made their foul shots.”

On the strength of a Neesha Pierre put-back, a pair of Hill free throws and an old-fashioned three-point play from Mars, Lebanon Catholic notched the first seven points of the contest. The Vikings’ response came in the form of a Voight-Zerman inspired 13-4 run that gave them a 13-11 lead.

“What I think deep down is irrelevant,” said Battistelli. “We have a way of thinking, a standard, we are not allowed to fail. They’re just little kids, but they believe. This team has not played in 27 playoff games.

“To play in this environment, they lifted their chins,” added Battistelli. “Grind, grind, grind. We tell them (his players) all kinds of stuff. We had enough spurts on offense.”

“I think we can play better,” said Hower. “You certainly want your record to be better. At this point, you’ve got to want to get better.”

The Beavers closed out the first half with a 7-0 run to take a 28-23 advantage to the intermission. Turner knocked down a three-pointer and canned a jumper, and Mars laid in a deuce.

“Maybe a little bit,” said Hower of the pressure that comes with defending a state championship. “I don’t know what goes through teenage girls’ minds. We’re everybody’s big game.”

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